The invention relates to developing apparatuses for photographic material, particularly photographic sheet material, of the type comprising a succession of processing chambers through which the photographic material successively travels, generally horizontally. Each processing chamber typically includes a tank containing processing fluid, at least one submerging roller for causing transported material to pass below the upper surface of the body of processing fluid in the tank, guide means defining a path of travel through the chamber, with pairs of transport rollers being located intermediate successive chambers for effecting transport of photographic material out of one chamber and into the next.
Developing apparatuses of the type in question are generally used for developing X-ray film or black-white paper, with the first in the succession of processing chambers usually containing a bath of developing fluid.
Typically, this type of developing apparatus is of relatively small dimensions, necessitating a correspondingly low transport speed for the photographic material to be processed. These low transport speeds are quite acceptable when black-white photographic material is being processed, on account of the relative insensitivity of such material. However, the type of developing apparatus in question is not suitable for processing color paper, because even the smallest disturbances in the transport of the photographic material through the developing chamber and likewise even the smallest disturbances of the quiescence of the body of developing fluid, lead to stripy or schlieric effects upon the photographic material.
Also, if all longitudinally successive portions of the transported photographic material are not subjected to identical mechanical stresses during passage through the developing chamber, then the quality or character of the different portions of the material after processing may differ correspondingly.